Overview
This roundtable discussion brings together four of the leading scholars on internationalism, humanitarianism, and military force to debate the recent expansion in scholarship on the topic of military humanitarianism. Historians have largely written about humanitarianism and the military as parallel but separate subjects, ones which can enhance interpretations of the other, but which rarely overlap (Irwin, 2013; Cabanes, 2014).
Both fields have yet to fully engage with the many points of connection between humanitarian organisations and military actors. Yet, humanitarian and military actors did not belong to discreet categories in conflict contexts. Blurring between these groups was common.
Building on an emerging trend of critical humanitarian historiographies – challenging the dominant historiographical framing of humanitarians as impartial or apolitical – this event will challenge the dominant, top-down approach in international history that frames military actors as a homogenous group and field-based humanitarian actors as passive intermediaries between armed groups and the recipients of aid.
Participants
Chair:
Dr Margot Tudor (City, University of London)
Guest speakers:
Dr Brian Drohan (West Point)
Professor Elisabeth Leake (Tufts)
Professor Jessica Reinisch (Birkbeck, University of London)
Professor Silke Roth (University of Southampton)
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